Oct. 3-9, 2011

“I’m just going out to check the ewes,”

I said, but then I found

October dancing on the hill,

her robust fullness gowned

in scarlets, golds and brassy browns,

seducing with her hat of blue,

her perfume heady, humming tunes,

giving nuts and apples too.

-Pat Elliott

Lunar phase and lore

Entering its second quarter on Oct. 3, the Leafturn Moon waxes throughout the period, becoming completely full Oct. 11 at 9:06 p.m. Rising in the afternoon and setting early in the morning, this moon reaches its zenith in the middle of the night.

Full moon in the middle of the week after next may create more stress for families, students and teachers. Crime, chilly weather and the number of accidents are expected to rise between Oct. 10-12.

Lunar position for hunting and fishing is best for those activities (but worst for dieting) near midnight during this period; the second-best lunar time, near midday, may be the most convenient, especially as the cool fronts of Oct. 7 and 13 approach.

Moving to Capricorn on Oct. 3, Aquarius on Oct. 5, Pisces on Oct. 7 and Aries on Oct. 10, the waxing moon favors planting garlic and transplanting in Capricorn and Pisces. The next week’s waning moon, however, will provide even better conditions.

The Summer Triangle is one of the most dramatic star groupings in September and October evenings. To find it, look directly above you about 10 p.m. There, you should see the cross-like formation of Cygnus, with its brightest star, Deneb.

Just to the west of Cygnus, find Lyra, with its dominant star, Vega. South of both of those formations is Aquila, and its brightest star is Altair. If you connect Deneb, Vega and Altair with an imaginary line, you have the Summer Triangle!

Weather patterns

While some days next week are often warm (Oct. 8 bringing a 40 percent chance of highs above 70 degrees), others are typically cooler. Oct. 11-13 are the days most likely to see highs in the 40s or 50s. The coldest morning so far in the season usually comes on Oct. 13, when the chances of a low in the 20s are 20 percent for the first time since spring.

The first part of next week is usually dry (carrying only a 20 percent chance for precipitation on Oct. 8), but precipitation often increases thereafter, with Oct. 10 bringing a 40 percent chance for rain, and Oct. 12 a 50 percent chance. Oct. 12 is also the first day that snow falls five years in 100.

Shooting stars

The Draconids appear near Draco along the northern horizon after midnight on Oct. 8-9, but the full moon will make it hard to spot them. You may have better luck with the Orionids, which fall in Orion, on Oct. 21-22.

Daybook

Oct. 3: The Leafturn Moon enters its second quarter today, favoring planting of a green cover crop for the garden. Put in spinach for spring harvest, too. When possible, plant winter grains between now and full moon (Oct. 11).

Oct. 4: As early fall moves toward its close, terns and meadowlarks, yellow-rumped warblers and purple martins migrate. Hawks move south, resting on fences and high wires to look for prey. The tall sedums begin to relinquish their petals, and autumn crocuses die back.

Oct. 5: Asters are winding down; August’s jumpseeds are jumping, touch-me-nots popping, thimble plants unraveling. The toothed leaves of beggar ticks darken overnight. Cabbage butterflies become more reckless in their search for nectar. Buckeye fruits have fallen, and three-seeded mercury has lost its seeds.

Aphids disappear in the chilly nights. Cicadas die. Japanese beetles complete their season. Daddy longlegs disappear from the undergrowth. Damselflies are rare along the rivers, and darners have left their suburban ponds.

Oct. 6: The demand for goat’s milk rises in the fall, and prices start to rise, too.

Oct. 7: Soybeans are often mature on half of the region’s farms, and a fourth of that crop has been cut. Corn silage and potatoes have been harvested throughout the state by now in average years, and half the fall apples have been picked.

Oct. 8: Chimney swifts, wood thrushes, barn swallows and red-eyed vireos migrate this first week of middle fall. Flocks of blackbirds and robins come south across the countryside. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers move through the woods.

Oct. 9: Some beekeepers believe the period of the waxing moon (now) is the best time to remove honey from their hives.